Three astronauts ‘stranded in space’ after collision with ‘unknown object’

State news gave the update

The Chinese astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, are currently in space with no return date, having been aboard the Tiangong space station since early 2025.

The trio had been slated to return yesterday (5 November), however, the return date has been pushed back indefinitely, as per the state broadcaster CCTV.

A short article on the site detailed a statement from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

It read: "The return of China's Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Wednesday, will be postponed due to a suspected impact from tiny space debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.

"The impact analysis and risk assessment are under way

"The decision to delay the return aims to ensure the astronauts' safety and mission success."

The astronauts are part of the Shenzhou-20 mission which flew to the space station in April ahead of a six-month stay.

Their replacements, onboard the Shenzhou-21, already docked on 1 November.

The CMSA added: “The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft is suspected of being hit by a tiny piece of space debris, and an impact analysis and risk assessment are under way.

“To ensure the safety and health of the astronauts and the success of the mission, it has been decided that the Shenzhou-20 return mission, originally scheduled for 5 November, will be postponed.”

Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were eventually returned to Earth aboard Space X's Dragon spacecraft.